We can also meditate on examples, such as the story of the Bodhisattva Sadaprarudita mentioned in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Eight Thousand Lines. Sadaprarudita could not make progress towards enlightenment even though he had many visions of Buddhas and received teachings from them directly. He asked the Buddhas ‘With which Spiritual Guide do I have a good karmic connection?’ and they directed him to Dharmodgata. To learn from this Teacher, Sadaprarudita had to exert great effort, and he even had to cut and sell his own flesh to obtain substances to offer. His wholehearted devotion was completely worthwhile because it was only by relying upon Dharmodgata that he could make swift progress to enlightenment.
Since we do not have the opportunity at present to meet actual Buddhas and receive instructions from them directly, we need to commit ourself to a Spiritual Guide with whom we can cultivate, right now, a relationship that is beneficial in terms of our spiritual development. We may find that we can easily and naturally develop a beneficial relationship with a particular Teacher as a result of our having performed virtuous actions towards that person in the past.
we delight all the buddhas
In Scriptures Received from the Mouth of Manjushri Vajradhara says:
When disciples make offerings to their Spiritual Guides, I myself and all the other Buddhas enter into the body of the Spiritual Guide and accept the offering.
We meditate:
All the Buddhas, including Buddha Vajradhara, have entered the body of my Spiritual Guide. Therefore, if I please my Spiritual Guide, I please all the Buddhas; if I make prostrations to my Spiritual Guide, I make prostrations to all the Buddhas; and if I accumulate merit through actions I perform towards my Spiritual Guide, the merit I accumulate is the same as the merit I would accumulate if I were to perform these actions towards all the Buddhas. Therefore I must rely purely upon my Spiritual Guide.
we are not harmed by demons and other evil influences
In Extensive Enjoyment Sutra Buddha says that anyone who has merit and good fortune will accomplish all their wishes. Such a person will be free from possession or hindrance by demons, evil spirits and so forth, and will be able to attain enlightenment swiftly. We meditate:
By relying completely upon my Spiritual Guide I will become strong in my practice and I will develop vast and powerful virtuous energy that will protect me against harm from demonic or other evil influences. Therefore I must rely purely upon my Spiritual Guide.
we easily overcome our faults and delusions
We meditate:
If I rely upon my Spiritual Guide, through his kindness he will show me how to abandon faults and delusions and so I will be able to avoid harmful actions and their results.
We can remember the example of Milarepa who, by relying wholeheartedly upon his Spiritual Guide Marpa, abandoned all evil actions and attained full enlightenment very quickly, even though he had committed murder and many other extremely destructive actions.
our experiences and realizations of spiritual grounds and paths greatly increase
The main obstacles to our gaining realizations are our negative actions and their imprints. By relying upon our Spiritual Guide we can purify these and gain realizations quickly and easily.
We can remember the example of Dromtonpa, who served Atisha so well that he had no time for meditation. Another disciple of Atisha’s, Amai Jangchub, meditated all the time. When Atisha let Dromtonpa and Amai Jangchub compete together to see who had the higher realizations, it was Dromtonpa who won the competition. He had gained higher realizations by completely devoting himself to Atisha and performing pure acts of service.
In a similar way, Geshe Jayulwa devoted himself to his Spiritual Guide, Geshe Chengawa, and had no time for meditation. One day, while he was cleaning Geshe Chengawa’s room, Geshe Jayulwa went outside to empty the rubbish bin. As he was coming back inside his mind naturally developed single-pointed concentration on emptiness and, without having to exert extra effort or engage in meditation, he gained a realization of emptiness. This came as a result of his complete dedication to his Spiritual Guide.
we never lack spiritual friends in all our future lives
We can meditate on the advice of Je Phabongkhapa:
Although our Spiritual Guide may at present appear to be ordinary, if we do not assent to this ordinary appearance but practise regarding him or her as a Buddha, we will create the cause to have actual Buddhas such as Manjushri or Maitreya as our Spiritual Guides in the future. Having actual Buddhas as our Teachers is an effect similar to the cause.
we do not take rebirth in the lower realms
We meditate:
If I rely completely upon my Spiritual Guide I will purify all the negative karma that causes rebirth in the three lower realms. If I maintain strong faith and respect, then even if my Spiritual Guide rebukes me or strikes me these actions will purify my negative karma.
We can remember the example of the Kadampa Teacher, Lha Tripa, who followed his Spiritual Guide, Geshe Tolungpa, with great devotion, although whenever Geshe Tolungpa met Lha Tripa he would reprimand him. Lha Tripa’s own disciples began to take exception to this and eventually one of them declared in front of Lha Tripa that Geshe Tolungpa was not a good Spiritual Guide because he was constantly critical of his disciple. Lha Tripa replied ‘You should not say so. Every time my Spiritual Guide criticizes me I receive the blessing of Heruka.’ Drogon Tsangpa Gyarepa said:
Whenever my Spiritual Guide beats me, to me this is an empowerment. Whenever my Spiritual Guide rebukes me, to me this is a wrathful mantra. These will remove all my obstacles.
all our wishes, temporary and ultimate, are easily fulfilled
Je Tsongkhapa said that the venerable Spiritual Guide is the foundation of all good qualities. We meditate:
If I rely upon my Spiritual Guide all my temporary wishes, such as the wish to enjoy human happiness, and all my ultimate wishes, such as the wish to attain liberation and full enlightenment for the sake of others, will be fulfilled without difficulty.
When we are meditating on these eight benefits of sincere reliance we are doing the analytical meditation that causes us to develop a strong determination to rely wholeheartedly upon our Spiritual Guide. This determination is a virtuous and unmistaken mind. When it arises clearly, we take it as our object of placement meditation and concentrate upon it, holding it without distraction so that we become more and more familiar with it. By closely acquainting ourself in this way with such a virtuous determination, we reduce non-virtuous attitudes such as distrust or disrespect for our Spiritual Guide and our mind becomes more and more pure.
the dangers of breaking our commitment to our spiritual guide
If we break our commitment to our Spiritual Guide we will wander further and further away from enlightenment. If we accept someone as our Spiritual Guide, and then become critical or angry and decide to abandon him or her, we will bring upon ourself many severe consequences. There are eight main ones:
1 Since our Spiritual Guide is an emanation of all the Buddhas, if we forsake or show contempt for him or her, this action will have the same effect as forsaking or showing contempt for all the Buddhas.
2 Every moment of anger that arises in our mind towards our Spiritual Guide destroys all the good karma that we can create in one aeon and causes us to take rebirth in hell for one aeon.
3 Even though we may practise Secret Mantra for aeons, if we have forsaken our Spiritual Guide it will be impossible to gain realizations.
4 With a critical or angry mind towards our Spiritual Guide our practice of Secret Mantra will become the cause of rebirth in hell.
5 It will be impossible to gain new realizations, and the realizations that we have already gained will degenerate.
6 We will be afflicted with misfortunes such as disease,